The ATO green roads profiles present country-level perspectives on how 35 Asia-Pacific economies are addressing the development and management of sustainable eco-friendly roads. Drawing from diverse datasets and policy documents, the profiles highlight practices and measures that contribute to greener transport infrastructure.

Developed by the Asian Transport Observatory (ATO) in partnership with the International Road Federation (IRF), the profiles are designed to complement the Green Roads Toolkit. The toolkit provides a practical reference for integrating good practices across nine dimensions:

• Decarbonization
• Climate resilience
• Water and land management
• Pollution reduction
• Conserving biodiversity
• Responsible sourcing of materials
• Improving quality of life
• Disaster preparedness
• Fostering inclusive growth

This 2025 edition builds on earlier work to provide a comprehensive resource for guiding the planning, development, construction, and management of greener, more sustainable roads.

Bangladesh exemplifies a densely populated country. With 173.6 million residents spread over roughly 130,000 square kilometers, land pressure is intense. The country has expanded its road network to 482,400 kilometers by 2024, resulting in a physical density of 3,706 meters of road per square kilometer, indicating high connectivity. However, road availability per person remains low, with only 2.8 kilometers per thousand people, declining from 3.3 km in 2000. Infrastructure struggles to keep pace with population growth.

The vehicles on this network are mainly two-wheelers, unlike other parts of Asia-Pacific dominated by heavy four-wheelers. Motorization is low at 32 vehicles per thousand people, compared to the regional average of 317. Consequently, 59% of vehicles are motorbikes, and 21% are light-duty vehicles. Trucks and buses make up smaller, but more emission-intensive, shares. This low motorization results in very efficient road transport emissions — just 6 grams of CO2e per USD of GDP, compared to the regional average of 26 grams.

Yet, this efficiency is fragile. Total emissions are rising fast, with road transport emissions reaching 10.5 million tonnes of CO2e in 2024, growing at 6.5% annually since 2000 — nearly twice the economy-wide growth rate. Electric mobility is developing, with $596 million worth of EV imports since 2015, but its decarbonization potential is limited by the electricity grid, which emits 694 g CO2 per kWh — much higher than the Asia-Pacific average of 559. An EV in Dhaka is only as clean as the power plant that supplies it.

The vulnerability of the transport network is real and immediate. Bangladesh loses about $179 million annually due to infrastructure damage, mostly roads. Bridges and tunnels, though only 0.4% of the network, account for 2.2% of these losses. Under a 4.5°C warming scenario, 19% of road and rail infrastructure could be exposed to extreme rainfall, causing water damage and pavement failure.

The human toll of the current system is severe. Air pollution caused by transport led to a PM 2.5 level of 62.6 micrograms per cubic meter in 2019, resulting in 6,500 early deaths. The health-related economic loss is estimated at $70.8 billion, about 9% of GDP. Road safety is a crisis, with WHO reporting 31,578 fatalities in 2021. In Bangladesh, road crash fatalities increased by approximately 4.8% per year between 2016 and 2021. If this pattern persists, the gap between current trends and the 2030 target will only widen.

Inclusivity remains the final, critical gap. Despite the high road density, the network is porous. 17 million rural residents remain cut off from all-season roads, leaving the most vulnerable susceptible to shocks and slow recovery during disasters. The sector is also completely gender-imbalanced, with women comprising a mere 2.7% of the transport workforce. Meanwhile, nature retreats. In the country's 20 Key Biodiversity Areas, nine have already been bisected by infrastructure.

Bangladesh faces a crucial moment. Its high infrastructure density masks underlying issues. The country benefits from low carbon emissions but faces increasing total emissions and climate risks. Continuing current trends — high accident rates, health costs from pollution, and rural disconnection — threatens the economic benefits of network expansion.

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